The Carnegie Nuclear Policy Program hosted a screening of a profound and moving documentary on nuclear testing, Where the Wind Blew. Using archival footage and interviews with survivors of nuclear weapons testing in Kazakhstan and the United States, Where the Wind Blew shows not only how governments subjected unwitting citizens to grave dangers, but also how the activism of these brave survivors advanced a global ban on nuclear testing.

Following the screening, Carnegie fellow Togzhan Kassenova and Andrew Weber discussed the lessons learned from the history of nuclear testing in the Soviet Union and the United States. They also shared their first-hand impressions of visiting the former nuclear testing site in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan.

Andrew Weber

Andrew Weber is the former U.S. assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs. He previously served at the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan and was a driving force behind Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction efforts to remove weapons-grade uranium from Kazakhstan.

Togzhan Kassenova

Togzhan Kassenova a fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment, is the author of several publications that describe the toll of Soviet nuclear tests. She is a native of Kazakhstan.

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About the Nuclear Policy Program

The Carnegie Nuclear Policy Program works to strengthen international security by diagnosing acute nuclear risks, informing debates on solutions, and engaging international actors to effect change. The program’s work spans deterrence, disarmament, nonproliferation, nuclear security, and nuclear energy.